Review by: Raygun

This particular Rare Character release was selected to mark ten years of t8ke reviewing whiskey. It consists of bourbon from Indiana and Kentucky. The Indiana component is nine years old from MGP using a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley. The Kentucky components are six, eight, and eleven years old from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery with a mash bill of 74% corn, 18% rye, and 8% malted barley. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: MGP and unknown  

Bottler/Brand: Rare Character  

Region/style: Kentucky and Indiana straight bourbon whiskey

ABV: 59%. Barrel proof. 

Age: A blend of 6-year-old, 8-year-old, and 11-year-old Kentucky bourbon along with 9-year-old Indiana bourbon from MGP. No official age statement.   

Cask type: New oak, 625 bottles

Color: 1.6 mahogany. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Sweet, oaky, and powerful. Caramel corn, cracked pepper, dill, and rye bread. The high-rye component is coming through. Cinnamon roll comes through with some water.         

Palate: Not as fiery as I thought it might be. Root beer, caramel corn, pepper, rye bread, and yes, a lot of oak. As powerful as the nose suggested. A touch of licorice. Like the nose, some yeasty cinnamon roll flavor shows up after adding water.      

Finish: Rich oak, caramel, and a hint of tobacco now. Still has the root beer, pepper, and touch of licorice. I’m not noticing the rye flavor quite as much. Mostly about the oak here.      

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Conclusion: My first try of Rare Character and it’s a good one. Nothing too unusual here, except the peppery spicy flavor. It’s not too hot, but I still feel it benefits from a touch of water. I like the cinnamon roll flavor it brings out. I’m not sure what it cost at release, but it would be a pretty solid buy at up to $100 or so.

Score: 85

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Stagg Jr batch 12)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (new))
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Pikesville Rye)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Wild Turkey 101)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Maker’s Mark)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Grandad 114)
• 0-49: Blech. (High West Yippee-ki-yay)